Chapter 200: Denied
A clear moon, sparse stars.Konoha Hot Springs.
Sakura sat on a boulder beside the hot spring and casually pinned up her long hair with a chopstick. She tested the water temperature with one hand, then slipped in entirely.
"Ahhh, this is heavenly~~~"
Ino let out a long, contented sigh from nearby.
Noticing Sakura settling in, Ino paddled over with a goofy grin and immediately copped a feel like some kind of pervert.
"Sakura, what's your skincare routine~~~ You're so pale~~~ Hehehe~~~"
"Girl, you smell amazing~~~"
"Sniiiiiff~~~"
I knew it...
Sakura looked at Ino with a flat expression but couldn't really do anything about it.
"But seriously, Sakura — you're this old already, so why are your..."
Kushina, on Sakura's other side, let her teasing gaze drift pointedly toward Sakura's chest, then glanced down at her own.
Oh yeah!
I win!
Finally — one area where Sakura couldn't beat her!
"What do you know? How can you level the world if your chest isn't level first?!"
Ino glared at Kushina, annoyed.
This flat board was her familiar flat board!
"Hah?"
"Are you picking a fight?! Ino-pig!"
"So what if I am! Octopus!"
"Ino-pig!"
"Octopus!"
Sakura soaked in the water, savoring this rare moment of peace.
It would've been even better if Kushina on her left and Ino on her right could quiet down.
As for the chest thing?
God forbid I ever "win" that contest.
After all, if those things got too big, they'd just get in the way during a fight.
Especially for a taijutsu specialist like Sakura — any body part that was oversized without being muscle was, by definition, a weak point.
Sakura had analyzed this with complete, dead-serious rigor.
"Ah... those two really do get along well, huh..."
Tenten watched Kushina and Ino's routine bickering from a short distance away and couldn't help but marvel.
"Y-yeah..."
Hinata, sitting beside Tenten, spoke up stiffly.
Despite it being all girls with no outsiders present, Hinata still couldn't relax, instinctively covering her chest with her hands.
"Hm?"
"Hinata, loosen up a little! We're all friends here."
Tenten threw an arm around Hinata's shoulders with an easygoing smile.
"Oh, um..."
Hinata glanced at Tenten — whether from the steam or from embarrassment, her face had turned quite red.
"Yeah, yeah! We finally all got together — no need to be like that."
Kushina paddled over with a grin.
"Um... okay then..."
Hinata looked at Tenten, then at Kushina, and slowly lowered her hands from her chest.
"Uh..."
Tenten stared at Hinata's considerable assets, and the smile froze on her face.
Three of her wouldn't add up to that...
Dammit, what is she eating to grow those?!
Tenten sank into existential crisis and submerged herself entirely.
It wasn't just Tenten — Ino and Kushina had also fallen into despair.
Only Sakura looked completely unbothered.
Hmph. Mere feminine wiles cannot sway me!
"S-Sakura, what's wrong with them?"
Hinata watched Tenten, Kushina, and Ino all bury their heads underwater, utterly bewildered.
"It's fine. Once they can't breathe, they'll come back up."
Sakura waved a dismissive hand.
I don't think that's what I was asking...
Seeing Sakura's utterly unfazed expression, Hinata gave an awkward little smile.
But...
Hinata's gaze settled on Sakura.
She really is beautiful.
And then, through the gauzy veil of steam, a figure with striking curves walked toward them.
Luminous, porcelain-pale feet stepped across the flagstones, approaching the spring one graceful step at a time.
Sakura glanced at the newcomer.
"Didn't expect you to show up for something like this."
The woman's lustrous black hair was swept up with a hairpin, her features as exquisite as a work of art. A pair of crystalline dark eyes that seemed to speak on their own, and flawless skin like polished jade.
Her figure might not have matched Hinata's, but there was something perfect about her proportions — no single feature stood out on its own, yet assembled on this particular person, the overall effect was immaculate.
"What?"
"Am I not allowed?"
Her voice was clear and melodious.
The newcomer waved a hand with total indifference — not the slightest concern about modesty — and sat down right beside Sakura.
Uchiha Hikaru.
The Uchiha Great-Grandma whom Sakura had dug up three years ago.
"Hikaru is so gorgeous..."
Three years on, Hikaru still didn't show her face often, but she'd become a familiar enough presence in the village.
Ino surfaced from the water and stared at Hikaru with undisguised envy.
At the compliment, the corner of Hikaru's mouth curved upward involuntarily. Her gaze drifted slightly downward — landing on Sakura's flat terrain — and the curve of her smile widened a few degrees more.
Heh. This pinky...
"What are you looking at?"
Sakura was not pleased.
Seriously, what is with all these little hussies staring at my chest?
Fine, the free show is one thing — but did those eyes really just flash with PITY and MOCKERY?
Keep it up and I'm charging admission!
"What're you gonna do about it?"
Hikaru's tone carried one part cool detachment, two parts mockery, three parts smugness, four parts amusement, and five parts provocation.
"Try looking one more time."
"Gladly."
And with that, Hikaru raised an eyebrow at Sakura.
That... this woman is BEGGING for a beatdown!
If I were a guy, I'd have you on the ground right here and now!
Sakura seethed.
Watching Sakura's utter defeat, Hikaru allowed herself the smile of a victor.
As time passed, Sakura and the others changed into bathrobes and headed up to the second-floor lounge of the hot springs resort.
There they ran into Naruto and the others, who'd just finished their soak as well.
But in the lounge, Sakura spotted something familiar.
A rectangular table with a net stretched across the middle...
Wait — would someone please explain?
Why was there a ping-pong table in a place like this?
Did people here even play ping-pong?
Sakura looked at the table, then thought of the provocative look on Hikaru's face earlier.
Oho — I have a plan!
A single finger rose triumphantly in her mind.
She'd taken a loss just now. Time to even the score.
Challenging Uchiha Hikaru to an outright fight would actually put herself on the back foot.
So instead...
She slipped away from the group without a word and walked over to the ping-pong table alone.
Running her hand across the surface — familiar yet foreign — Sakura's lips curved into a smile of pure conspiracy.
Ino noticed Sakura at that moment. Sakura gave her a look.
Ino understood instantly. Having grown up with Sakura since childhood, she caught on in seconds.
"Hm?"
"Sakura, you wanna play this?"
Ino raised her voice just enough to draw the attention of everyone in the room.
Nice work, Ino!
Sakura mentally gave Ino a thumbs-up.
"A little interested."
"Anyone else feel like a game?"
Those emerald eyes swept toward the group, most of whom were heading for the lounge chairs to watch a movie.
"Well, I could—"
Naruto started to speak, but met Sakura's gaze and instinctively froze.
Heh. Childish little pinky.
Uchiha Hikaru crossed her arms and regarded Sakura with amusement.
You think this crude little trap is going to fool me?
How naive!
You little brat, poisoned by Senju influence!
But if you want to play — fine, I'll play along.
"Looks fun enough."
"I'll take you on."
Uchiha Hikaru stepped forward without hesitation.
"Good."
Sakura accepted without missing a beat.
Right on cue!
The two women locked eyes across the table, gazes blazing with fighting spirit — lightning meeting fire, a great battle about to erupt.
"Do those two have some kind of grudge?"
Even Naruto, slow as he was, had finally caught on. He sidled over to Sasuke and whispered.
"Yeah. You get used to it."
Sasuke had long since stopped reacting to this.
"Also — you're too close, idiot."
Sasuke shoved the blond away.
Sakura and Hikaru now held paddles, with Hinata pressed into service as referee.
Everyone else gathered at a safe distance to watch.
"You serve first. Can't have you saying I bullied you."
Sakura gripped her paddle with an air of absolute confidence.
If she lost at ping-pong, she'd be disgracing her previous life's alma mater, Todai.
"Hmph. I hope your game is as sharp as your mouth."
After a quick rundown of the rules, Uchiha Hikaru had the gist.
All I have to do is make sure she can't return the ball, right?
Hikaru tossed the ball up and served.
But—
A howling blast of air tore past Hikaru's ear, whipping her elegant black hair into wild disarray.
The entire room went dead silent.
Every eye landed on the ping-pong ball embedded in the far wall, still spinning.
!!
Is this petty pink-haired lunatic trying to KILL me?!
Hikaru stared at the ball as it finally stopped spinning and dropped to the floor.
The wall where it had been embedded was giving off a faint smell of scorching...
"Sorry about that. I'll take that point."
Sakura bounced her paddle lightly in her hand and arched one delicate eyebrow.
"Heh. Well then — I suppose I should start taking this seriously."
The black-haired girl's eyes blazed crimson, three tomoe spinning to life in her Sharingan. She fixed Sakura with a cold smirk.
Hinata, serving as referee, scrambled to flip the score to 1-0.
Second ball. Sakura's serve.
Sakura exhaled softly, eyes sharp as blades.
The first point had been a freebie. From here on, it wouldn't be so easy.
She tossed the ball high. Across the table, those three-tomoe eyes locked on.
CRACK!
A heavy impact exploded off the paddle!
A lightning-fast shot rocketed toward Hikaru with unstoppable force!
Perfect!
With her Sharingan active, Hikaru tracked the ball's trajectory with crystal clarity!
She gripped her paddle. Chakra surged!
CRACK!
Another thunderous impact! The shot — fast as lightning and heavy as a boulder — was sent hurtling back!
Sakura's reflexes were instantaneous. Yang Release's round-the-clock body reinforcement didn't just enhance strength, speed, and recovery — it was a comprehensive enhancement with no blind spots.
Including neural response time and dynamic reflexes!
But the instant her paddle made contact, the ball Hikaru had returned was spinning insanely on the paddle's surface — and then launched itself straight up, embedding itself in the ceiling.
Everyone stared, mouths agape.
Wait — you can do THAT?
"H-Hikaru scores."
Hinata nervously announced the score: 1-1.
Sakura caught the ball as it dropped from the ceiling, her expression serious — but beneath that, a spark of excitement.
Crushing weaklings is boring. I play to beat the best!
"Ready?"
Sakura placed the ball on her palm and dropped her stance low, eyes razor-sharp.
Hikaru braced herself. This pinky had gotten serious.
In that instant, it felt less like she was facing a person and more like a crouching tiger about to pounce.
Sakura's paddle swept forward. Hikaru's expression hardened.
Here it comes!
The moment the ball left Sakura's paddle, a piercing shriek tore through the room — and a white vortex of air spiraled around the ball!
She'd hit it hard enough to break the sound barrier!
Crimson chakra ignited across Hikaru's body!
She reinforced her paddle instantly!
Without reinforcement, the wooden paddle would've been punched straight through by Pinky's shot!
Uchiha-Style — Windmill Triple Blade!
Ping-pong edition!
Hikaru brought the Uchiha clan's legendary shuriken technique to bear!
The ball — unstoppable, thunderous — was smashed back with devastating force!
Its trajectory was wild and unpredictable. Any normal person would've had no chance of returning it.
But—
Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!
Sakura not only returned the ball cleanly — she slapped a Shadow Clone jutsu on it for good measure!
One ball became dozens, raining down on Hikaru in a blinding storm!
WHAT THE—
This damned pinky!
YOU started the rule-breaking!
Hikaru snarled. Her paddle swung — and behind her, a massive crimson skeletal arm materialized!
And in that skeletal hand... an enormous paddle!
Susano'o — Ping-Pong Edition!
Sakura noticed that Hikaru's eyes still showed three-tomoe Sharingan, not Mangekyō, and blinked in surprise.
But she understood almost immediately.
The Mangekyō was merely the key that unlocked Susano'o's power.
Once unlocked, even if both eyes were removed, Susano'o could still be used.
Just like Uchiha Madara in the original series during the Fourth Great Ninja War — revived by the Rinne Rebirth without eyes, yet still able to deploy Susano'o.
With Hikaru's level of power, she could easily manifest Susano'o without even activating her Mangekyō.
Beneath the colossal paddle, every last clone-ball was swatted back.
A rapid barrage of thwack-thwack-thwack filled the room as the Shadow Clone technique dispersed, leaving a single ball bursting through the cloud of white smoke.
Sakura's lips curved.
Who would've thought my first encounter with Susano'o would be under these circumstances?
But so what if you've got Susano'o?
The returned ball spun wildly before Sakura's eyes...
One swing.
Yang Release — Superhuman Strength!
Before anyone could react, the ball rocketed back — and the instant it touched the ping-pong table, it detonated, exploding into countless fragments!
"Uh..."
Sakura stared blankly at the aftermath.
Hikaru froze too.
How exactly were they supposed to score that?
"Ah, how about we call it here? It's just a game, after all."
Shikamaru rushed in, terrified that Sakura and Hikaru would actually start fighting for real.
If these two ancestors got heated, this entire establishment was getting demolished.
"Tch..."
"Lucky you."
Sakura clicked her tongue. The ball exploded — fine, just grab another one.
But given the intensity between her and Hikaru, they'd probably need a steel ball to make it work.
"Hmph, and who exactly is the lucky one here?"
Hikaru tossed her paddle aside and crossed her arms, displeased.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know~~~"
Sakura shrugged with exaggerated helplessness, palms up — sure, sure, you win.
AAAAARGH!
This STINKING pinky!
Hikaru ground her teeth as she glared at Sakura's fine-fine-you-win-whatever face.
Can I use Susano'o to beat her to death?!
Watching Hikaru's aggrieved expression, Sakura's lips twitched upward.
Honestly, she didn't actually dislike this woman.
But Sakura found it immensely entertaining to wind her up.
Especially that look — wanting desperately to punch her but lacking a good enough reason, teeth clenched, silently fuming.
This Uchiha Great-Grandma was actually kind of cute.
Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose.
Sakura was great in every way — except for this mean streak, especially when it came to Hikaru.
After dinner at the hot springs resort, it was nearly midnight, and everyone was heading home.
Sakura finished getting dressed and was about to say goodbye to Naruto and the others.
"Sakura, it's so late — it's dangerous for a girl to walk home alone. Want me to walk you?"
Sakura stared blankly at the big golden retriever sidling up to her.
Me?
Alone?
Dangerous?
Are you saying I'M the danger, or someone else?
"No need."
"Hinata's alone too. Walk her home, Naruto."
Sakura deflected Naruto's transparent little maneuver.
"Hinata's really strong, and she's the Hyūga heiress — nobody would dare do anything to her."
Sakura was genuinely at a loss with this one-track mind.
"Forget it. Hikaru, let's go."
Sakura looked around — Kushina and Ino had already left. Only the dawdling Hikaru and Sasuke, who'd been waiting for her, remained.
"Hah?"
Hikaru, still gathering her things, cocked her head.
Since when are she and I that close?
But before Hikaru could react, Sakura walked over, linked arms with her, and physically dragged her out.
"W-wait, I still have stuff to grab!"
"Oh, it's fine — Sasuke'll carry it for you."
Watching Hikaru get hauled off by Sakura, Sasuke picked up Hikaru's abandoned equipment pouch without comment.
Naruto watched the pink-haired figure vanish into the night and scratched his head.
"What are you standing there for?"
"Walk Hinata home."
Sasuke waved the equipment pouch in Naruto's face, then headed off after Sakura and Hikaru.
Even Sasuke could see that Hinata liked Naruto.
The only one who couldn't was the idiot himself.
"Sasuke..."
Naruto reached out toward Sasuke, but Sasuke walked away without looking back.
"Na... Naruto-kun..."
Behind him, Hinata watched Naruto with a nervous expression, her face flushed.
"Well then — Hinata, I'll walk you home."
Naruto looked at the blushing Hinata and scratched his head. Her shyness didn't register as anything unusual.
In Naruto's mind, Hinata had just always been like that.
"...Mm. Thank you, Naruto-kun."
Hinata answered softly. Her ears had turned a vivid, translucent red.
The two walked through the gradually emptying streets under the night sky, one in front, one behind.
Hinata followed silently in Naruto's wake, her heart in chaos.
She wanted to say something — anything — to him, but she'd never been good with words, and facing Naruto only made it worse.
Naruto walked ahead with his hands behind his head. He glanced back at the white-eyed girl trailing behind him, head down, blushing.
"Hey, Hinata."
Naruto's voice broke the nighttime silence.
Maybe it was just boredom that made him speak up.
"Y-yes?! Naruto-kun!"
"What is it?"
Hinata looked up at the boy walking ahead of her.
"What do you do if the person you like doesn't like you back?"
Hinata froze. Her feet stopped moving on their own.
Sensing something off, Naruto stopped and turned around, looking at the white-eyed girl curiously.
"What's wrong, Hinata?"
The white-eyed girl shook her head vigorously.
"No, it's nothing."
"Does Naruto... have someone he likes?"
Strangely, the Hinata who should have been a stammering mess in front of Naruto was perfectly, eerily calm in this moment.
"Ah, well, how do I put it... heheh."
Faced with her question, it was Naruto who became fidgety, looking embarrassed.
"It's Sakura, isn't it?"
Hinata spoke softly, her expression dimming.
"Yeah, yeah!"
Naruto nodded eagerly, then sighed.
"But it's totally one-sided. Sakura already turned me down."
Maybe it was because she was a girl too — Naruto figured Hinata might have some advice.
Hinata studied Naruto standing under the streetlight, her expression complicated.
She seemed to see, superimposed over him, a pink-haired silhouette standing before the gathered nations — forcing the Hidden Cloud, the Hidden Sand, and the Hidden Mist to bow their heads.
As a princess of the Hyūga clan, her intelligence on Sakura was far more comprehensive than anything Naruto could access.
So Hinata understood, with perfect clarity, exactly what kind of existence Sakura was.
In terms of accomplishments and track record alone, not even the Fourth Hokage could compare.
"Naruto — Sakura is extraordinary."
Hinata spoke quietly.
"Hehe, well yeah, I know that."
Naruto readily agreed.
"When someone is just a little better than everyone else, people get jealous. Envious. They want to drag her down."
Hinata continued, and Naruto blinked.
"But when someone is so far above everyone else that they could never be reached in a lifetime..."
"All that's left is admiration. Awe. Looking up."
Even Hinata could see that Sakura had no interest in romance — no interest whatsoever, in fact.
Only this idiot couldn't tell.
Naruto didn't fully understand, but he was deeply moved.
Sakura really IS the greatest!
Looking at the still-clueless boy before her, Hinata shook her head. Then she raised her chin and looked at the person she loved.
Even if he didn't know. Didn't realize. Didn't understand her feelings.
That obliviousness was, in its own way, one of the things she loved about him.
"Naruto-kun — I can walk the rest of the way alone."
"It's late. You should head back."
Hinata tucked a strand of wind-blown hair behind her ear and regarded Naruto with steady eyes.
Without waiting for his reply, she disappeared into the darkness, leaving a single confused blond standing alone under the streetlight.
Naruto watched her go and scratched his head.
Hinata...
That was weird...
Hokage BuildingHokage's Office
An old man stood across from Sakura.
Four days had passed since the reunion. Homura Mitokado had successfully returned from the Fire Country capital.
And he'd brought back an answer.
Sakura leafed through the official response Homura had carried back from the Daimyo, a trace of mockery at the corner of her mouth.
It contained Hiruzen's letter nominating Sakura as Hokage.
And at the bottom — a single character: Denied. Stamped beneath the seal of the Fire Country Daimyo.
That was the Daimyo's answer.
And that wasn't all. Even Koyuki Kazahana, who had spoken in Sakura's support, had been harshly rebuked by the Fire Country.
"Sakura..."
"What do we do?"
Homura looked uncertainly at the girl radiating cold menace before him.
He didn't understand. What was the Daimyo thinking?
Did the Daimyo of the Land of Fire truly not know what this Hokage candidate had accomplished in the war?
In today's Konoha — who else could become Hokage?!
Sakura tossed the document casually onto the desk.
"If this Daimyo can't read the room, then we'll simply have to make him listen."
"Why overcomplicate it?"
Sakura rose to her feet, and Homura felt his heart lurch — a sudden spike of danger.
"Sakura, what are you going to do?"
He had the distinct feeling Sakura was about to do something extremely dangerous.
"Nothing. Relax, Elder Homura."
"I'm just going to take what's rightfully mine."
Sakura patted Homura on the shoulder, then walked out of the Hokage's office alone.
Homura's unease only grew.
Hiruzen...
Go to Hiruzen Sarutobi!
Whatever Sakura was planning, only Hiruzen could stop her!
If...
Homura gritted his teeth.
If Sakura truly intended to move against that person—
What would become of Konoha?!
☆☆☆
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